Anti-cuts battle hots up in Waltham Forest

Around 75 people packed into a Right To Work public meeting in Walthamstow on Tuesday evening, despite heavy snow.

Speakers included local Labour MP John Cryer and a number of campaigners and trade unionists

The anger at the scale of Tory attacks and determination to resist could be heard in the contributions from council and health workers, public service users, trade unionists and campaigners.

Dr Mary Edmondson from Keep Our NHS Public argued that the Tories were set on the wholesale privatisation of the NHS, threatening £20 billion in cuts over the next five years, She said government claims to be ring-fencing NHS spending were lies.

The attack on local council services and the destruction of hundreds of local jobs was raised by Dave Knight from Waltham Forest Unison. His call for unity against the Tories was welcomed by the meeting.

Michael Bradley from the Right to Work campaign nationally argued that the movement should take inspiration from the student revolt and that victory over the attacks on education could turn the tables against the Tory attacks as a whole.

Some speakers were critical of the organisers for inviting a Labour MP to speak. But Jim Fagan from the Save Leyton Green Clinic Campaign argued that it is important for MPs to experience the anger of their constituents and that mass opposition to the Tory attacks could not be built without involving Labour supporters.

Suggestions for future campaigning were agreed, including a lobby of the next Waltham Forest Council meeting.